How to finance fire trucks?

NEW LONDON – How to pay for the increasing cost of replacing fire trucks at the New London Fire Department is causing a concern with city of New London officials.
Because of this concern, and the fact fire trucks cost more than $1 million each, New London Finance Director Judy Radke, told the Capital Project and Equipment Committee at its Dec. 3 meeting that the city needs to devise a purchasing process for replacing the fire department’s trucks.
“We really have to talk about fire trucks and how that process is going to work,” Radke said.
She added, “We have some very large pieces of equipment that need some attention over there in the fire department.”
Mark Wilfuer, fire chief for the New London Fire Department, told the committee that that he was requesting to replace the 1992 Ford fire truck, which originally came to the New London Fire Department when the Mukwa Fire Department disbanded. He said if he received approval to replace that fire truck, the department would have about one year to approve the specs for the truck and put it out to bids.

“And then an additional two and a half to three years lead time to get that truck delivered,” Wilfuer added.
The lead time would be the same for any fire truck the department would order, he said.
“We ordered the tank truck two years ago and we still haven’t gotten it yet,” Wilfuer said.
Radke said the committee would not be able to approve the purchase of a new fire truck at the meeting. She said funds could be used to purchase a new fire truck from the next time the city borrows funds for a road project, which she said would probably be in three years.
“This is a lot of money and I don’t know how to fit it in (to the budget),” Radke said. “So, I just feel like this is the way for us to move forward with the purchase in today’s environment.”
She added, “It is just a path forward I believe, because we can’t not have a path forward for the fire department. We have to replace that equipment.”
More information regarding purchasing a new fire truck as Wilfuer requested would be provided to the committee at its February meeting, Radke said.
Ald. Tim Roberts asked if there is a secondary market for purchasing a used fire truck.
“We’re not putting the fire trucks on the road every day,” Roberts said. “A small community like us, I’m not sure if we need a brand new $1.3 million truck.”
Wilfuer said there is a secondary market for used fire trucks, but the city would not necessarily know what it was purchasing if it purchased a used fire truck.
When asked how long fire departments keep a fire truck, Wilfuer said the New London Fire Department used to rotate a new fire truck every 10 years.
“We got out of that cycle just because I was asked by Judy (Radke), ‘Can we get by?’ and I’d say, ‘Yeah, we can get by,’” Wilfuer said.
He added that fire trucks do not last 40 years because of the electronics in them.
“We’re having nothing but issues with all of our trucks,” Wilfuer said. “We just had a big bill for our aerial (truck), around $15,000. That’s what happens if you hang on to them too long. And I would recommend against (purchasing) a used truck.”
Hoerth said the situation is getting “scary” regarding the increasing prices of not just fire trucks, but all types of trucks that the city needs to function.
“Our capital projects budget hasn’t changed from $500,000 for years,” Hoerth said. “The prices have definitely changed every year.”